Best jobs opportunities in Malaysia

The Problem With Young Malaysian Graduates According To Hiring Managers

Via Says : Gen Y recruits are starting to flood the work force, bringing along work attitudes that are worrying hiring managers.

Young School Leavers May Have Scored Good Grades For English, But Many Can’t Hold A Conversation In English

“The inability to converse and understand English (among young school leavers) is a constant complaint among our members,” said Malaysian Employers Federation secretary Datuk Shamsudin Bardan. School graduates might have SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) English grades of A and B but could not even hold a conversation in English, Shamsudin said.

Malaysian Employers Federation secretary Datuk Shamsudin Bardan said that a survey a few years ago among its members found that 60% of them identified low English proficiency as the main problem with young recruits.

Christopher Raj of the Association of Hotel Employers said that out of 10 job applicants in the hospitality sector, eight or nine could not speak English. “The problem is bad not only among school leavers but also graduates from our local universities. You ask them in English and they answer in Bahasa Malaysia.

While a similar survey in September last year by online recruitment agency JobStreet.com found that 55% of senior managers and companies who took part said that poor command of the English language was the main reason for unemployment among undergraduates.

Employees In Their 20s Cannot Handle Stress Well

As if weak English was not enough, employers such as Raj complained that young job seekers in their 20s don’t seem able to handle stress well or work themselves up from the bottom.

They Are Restless And Impatient To Get To The Top, Yet Unwilling To Work From The Bottom

“Graduates these days come from colleges and immediately want to become managers, without even any experience. You can’t scold them and they can’t handle stress,” said Raj, who has spent 33 years in the hotel business.

These Gen Y Recruits Are Also Less Impressed With Job Benefits Like Insurance And Bonuses. They Want Instant Cash Rewards.

These Gen Y recruits, when compared with previous generations, are also less impressed with job benefits such as medical insurance and bonuses, preferring instead immediate cash rewards for performance, surveys among employers and trade groups have revealed.

MEF’s Shamsuddin says that recruits in their 20s, the so-called generation Y, are “restless” compared with their elders. “They have their eyes on the now instead of the future. They are less attracted to benefits such as annual bonuses, medical benefits, retirement. “In fact, they want annual bonuses portioned out on a monthly basis,” he said.

Parent Action Group For Education Believes That Malaysia’s Education Policy Is Encouraging These Attitudes

This damning indictment of today’s 20-something job-seekers’ attitudes is in large part due to an education policy in previous years that de-emphasised the importance of the English language, said a school education group.

In fact, Parent Action Group for Education (PAGE) believes that these policies have created a “lost generation” of young adults whose command of the English language is weaker than previous generations and who will miss the changes in schools that will benefit future generations.

“Which is why we were excited when the government decided to teach mathematics and science in English (PPSMI), as we felt this could boost their command of English. “Unfortunately it was cancelled after seven years when we should have allowed it to continue for 14 to 15 years to see the results. “Proficiency in any language is about practising. PPSMI created more opportunities for students to practise,” said Noor Azimah. PAGE has campaigned for the government to allow schools to continue the policy.